Holding or supporting means for radium-applying means



May 15, 1923.

1 W. H. CAMERON HOLDING OR SUPPORTING MEANS FOR RADIUM APPLYING MEANS Filed Feb. 21. 1922 2 Sheets-She et' 1 May 15, 1.923. 1,455,476

W. H. CAMERON.

HOLDING OR SUPPORTING MEANS FOR RADIUM APPLYING MEANS Filed Feb. 21. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEIVI'OI? Patented May 15, 1923.

; I 1,455,476 PATV'- o WILLIAM CAMERON, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BADIUM CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

HOLDING OR SUPPORTING MEANS FOR RADIUM-AFFLYING IM'LJElANS.v

Application filed February 21, 1922. Serial No. 538,172.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAar'I-I. CAM- ERON', a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the. county of Allegheny and'State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Holding or-Supporting Means for Radium-Applying.Means; and I .do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relatesto improvements in holding or supporting devices for radium applying 'means, and more particularly to means for facilitating the application of radium in the mouth, to the tonsils or to the posterior nasal space or in the throat of a patient,one object of the invention being to provide holding or supporting means for the purpose stated, which may be readily adjusted to the head of the patient and which shall be adjustable in such manner as to holdthe device which carries the radium, in close, accurate and continued contact with diseased tonsils or other affected parts in the mouth orthroat of a patient.

With thisand other objects. in view, the invention consistsin certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out'in the claims. V a

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a view illustrating the application of my improvements to a patient; Figure 2,i s a View, partly in section,jof the applicator to which the radium carrying device is to be attached; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the device to be disposed in front of the mouth of the patient for adjustably supporting the, applicator; Figure 4 is a view of the same. device showing'the upper member thereof swung asideto permit the insertion or removal of the applicator; Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through one endportion of'the device shown in figures 3 and 4; Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 i and 12 are views showing the construction of one form of radium carrying means; Figure 13 is a perspective view showing the holding and supporting devices,and Figure 14. is a perspective view showing a radium screen and means whereby it may be connected with the applicator-shown in Figures 1, 2'and 13. v

- My iimproved holding for supporting means are to be applied to the head of a patient by means of a headencircling strap 1 in such manner that the member withlwhich the applicator is connected will bedisposed immediately in front of the mouth of the patient, as indicated inFigure 1.

The vertical members 2 of the supporting means which are to be located inproximity tothe jawsof the patient, each comprises two plates or members 3, 4:,-the upperportion of each member 3 being made to. form a buckle 5 for connection with the head: encircling strap 1 and provided near its lower portion with a fixed screw 6 which passes through an elongated slot 7 in the lower plate or'member 4, whereby the latter may be adjusted vertically, and a thumb nut 8 on each screw 6 serves to. clamp eachlower member in any desiredposition ofvertiCal adjustment. is provided with aclamping. loop or sleeve-9 which receives an armlO and the latter may be secured in any desired position. of ad-. j ustment relatively to the arm 4 by means of a thumb nut 11 on a screw 12 thelatter pro-' jecting from a. portion of l the. clamping, sleeve and passing through the member v The arms 1O project forwardly. fronithe vertical, adjustable supporting members -i,

with the respective end portions of the plate 18. These blocks a are made with sockets (such as indicated at 22, Figure 5) to receive the balls 16 on the inwardly projecting portions 15 of the arms 13, and thus the holder.

Each lowervertical member 4: 1 I

17 is adjustably supported between thearms 13 throughthe medium of ball-and-socket connections. In order to secure the holder rigidly at any desired adjustment, set screws v 23 entering the blocks 20 and 21' are caused to engage the balls 16 as clearly indicated in- Figure 5. A' plate 24: is secured to the block or enlargement 21 andis provided with a flange 25 which overlies the latter, but is spaced somewhat therefrom; .Between the min fiange 25 and the top. of the block 21., one end portion ofthe upper-plate 19 of the holder is hinged or pivotally connected, as

indicated at 26, so thatsaid upper platemay be swung aside to permitthe insertion or removal of the handle portion of applicator. In order that the plate 19 may be moved a considerable distance without'conflict with the plate 24, it may be notched asat 27, and

said plate 19 may be notched as at 28 for the accommodation of a headed pin 29 p ro jecting upwardly from theblock or enlargement 20., In order to prevent escape of the ball 16 from its socket in the block when the plate 19 is swung aside, a small retaining screw 30 may be provided in the block 20, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The plates 18 and 19 of the holder '17 are provided with a series of aligningpertorations 18 19 and when the handle portion 31 of an applicator,

32'shallhave been placed inthe holder as shown in Figures land 13, it may be pivotally held in anydesired adjustmentrelatively to the ends of the holder by means of a headed pin 33 which may pass through any of the aligning perfor'ationsinthe plates 18 and19 and through apertoration in the handleportion otthe applicator. For the purpose of effecting longitudinal adjustment of the applicator, the handle portion of the latter may be provided with a plurality, of perforations 34-.

The torward'end of the applicator isipro vided with a head 35 having a seat 36 in its end and having external threads for the accommodat on of an, mternally threaded sleeve 37, the latter having an internal seat 38, and between said seats, a ball 38 at one end of a rod 39 is disposed. The forward end ot-the rod 39 is threaded to enter a nut tO nlovably mounted on a radium-carrying device. The ball-and-socket connection between the body of the applicator and the rod 39 will permit adjustment of said rod to so adjust the radium-carrying means as to properly position the latter and cause it to be brought into contact with the diseased part, and when so adjusted, said rod 39 will be'clampedin position by turning the body,

of the applicator or the sleeve 37 to clamp the ball 38*. between the seats 36 and 38.

The radium carrying device may be made in the form of a plaque or capsule 41 (Figures 8 and 9) containing amass having incorporated radium salt'or compound, and removably mounted in a holder 42, such as sl1own ,in- ,Figures 6, 7 and 12 The. holder 42 may be provided with'a socketed enlarge- 'ment-43 n which the nut40 may be novably mounted to receive the threaded for; ward'end of the rod 39., and thus the radium': carrynig device shown in Figures 6, 7 8, 9

and '12 may be adjustably connected with I thea'pplicator. i

If desired, the" radium-carrying device maybe a metal radium screen t l'to contain a redium tube 15 as shown in figure 14, or theradium 1n the screen may be contained 1n one or more radium needles, according to the quantity of radium which the physician may desireto use 111 a gram case.

The nut will be In order that the radium-carrying The screen 44 may be providedwvithears 46, be-T the applicator and at the other end with'ithe applicator holder 17. v This flexible device mayconsist of rubber ora coiled spring.

With the use {of myfimprovements, radium-carrying means may be accurately ap: plied to affected partsin the mouth or throat, or to the tonsils of a patient and held accurately in such. position without any GI}? fort of the patient, for any desired lengthot time, and the devicesi'or attaching the hold ing means to-the patient, provide ample ad justment ofthe various partsto accommodate the particular patient to be treated.

Having fully described" my finvention what I claim asnew and by Letters-Patent, is:; H

1. Means for supporting desire to secure a radiun carrying device in the treatment of mouthand throataflections, comprising a holder adjustable means for supp'orting'saidholder-iii front of the mouth of a-patient, means for'attach ing said supporting ,meanshto the headgof a p n n. ppl ha ng; ter l y a ju t l c n cti W th. sa d holder 1 means for adjustably' connecting a radium: carrying device with said iapplicatorp an d flexible means connected; with said} applicater for eifecting yielding pressure of the radium-carrying device to, the aftec'ted pa rt. Means for supporting a radiu in-early s v i t ea m n fmbut and? throat affections, comprising holder having spaced membersfi provided with align;

ing perforations, means for supporting said hold nj r nt of. the o Pat nt; means for attaching, said supporting means} tethe e d of 1apatie t... an aiei qlt@ Pass ng etween fl e mem rs, Qtsaid h 1 and .t arins plur itrnt p rforatien p vot. Pia L. Passing-f throug -1 any... pa i in perfelt t onsi :5 heheld m mb r and hK L s LaQYLQn if th pe i'ons t e App ic to and; me ns 9 adi a cmmectine Medium-carrying eV oe with I the appllcator. t r.

3. Means for supporting a radium-carrying device in the treatment of mouth and throat afl'ections, comprising a holder having spaced members, one hinged to the other and said members having aligning perforations, an applicator passing between the spaced members'of said holder, a pin passing through said applicator and through perforations in.

the holder members, means for supporting said holder in front of the mouth of a patient, and means for adju'stably connecting a radium-carrying device with the.ap-,

plicator.

4. Means for supporting a radium-carrying device in the treatment of mouth and throat aiiections, comprising a holder, ad-

' justable means for supporting said'holder in front of the mouth of a patient, an applicator adjustably connected with said holder, said applicator including an externally-threaded part having a seat on one end, a sleeve threaded on said part and having an internal seat at one end, a rod having a, ball disposed between said seats, and

' means for connecting a radium-carrying dea for securing said connections against movement arms hinged to said first-mentioned arms, a plate adjustably secured to eacho'f said last-mentioned arms, other plates adr justably connected with said first-mentioned plates, and a head-encirclingqstrap with which said plates are connected.

6. In the means for facilitating the application of radium: in the treatment of mouth and throat afi'ections, the'combination with a holder, means for supporting said holder in front of the mouth of a patient, an applicator adjustably connected with said holder and including a rod adjustably connected withthe body of said applicator, saidrod' having a threaded portion, a radium-carry lng dev ce, and a nut movably connected with said radium-carrying device and with the threaded portion of said rod.

7. Means for supporting a radium-carry ing device in the treatment of mouth and, comprising a holder,

throat affections, I means for pivotally su porting said holder in front of the" mouth or a patient, meansfor connecting the radium-carrying device with,

the applicator, andflexible means connected pressure of the radium-carrying device to the afiected part.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two sub scribing witnesses. WILLIAM H. CAMERON. Witnesses: I

W, S. Honor,

G. F. DOWNING.

60 with said applicator fore'fiecting'yielding 

